VILLAGE BOARD MEETING

The next Village Board Meeting will be held on Monday, June 4, at 7:00 P.M. All meetings are open to the public and are handicap accessible.

VILLAGE OFFICE

The Village Office will be closed on Monday, May 28th due to the observance of Memorial Day.

TRASH SCHEDULE

There will be no trash pickup on Monday, May 28th. Monday’s pick up will be on Tuesday, May 29th and Tuesday’s pick up will be on Wednesday, May 30th. THERE WILL BE NO SPECIAL PICK UP ON WEDNESDAY.

GROW MENANDS

This summer we are expecting some tours from developers and real estate groups, and even some visiting foreign dignitaries. We would like Menands to put its best face forward and look as beautiful as we know it can be. We think Menands can be the most colorful Village in the State with the help of homeowners and businesses. We are hoping that every resident will become part of a Village wide initiative that we are calling Grow Menands. If everyone can spend a little extra time and resources on summer flowers and their gardens this season we can improve the appearance and value of the Village. Happy Gardening!

MESSAGE FOR THE MAYOR

I would like to say thank you to all who have expressed your appreciation of this column. It is an easy way to keep the residents informed of what I am doing and what is happening around Menands.

I had an opportunity to visit a couple more businesses. Paul Reuss and I were given a tour of the Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council at 91 Broadway. The transformation of the building was very impressive. The Council now occupies the entire facility and the work they do reaches far beyond the Menands borders. The Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council is a non-profit organization serving parents, employers and child care providers in Albany, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties in New York State. It is a resource and referral agency, providing resources to the community by improving the availability and quality of child care, and a referral service counseling parents seeking child care. Our tour guides could not say enough about the commitment of the owner in making great efforts to keep the council in Menands as they were preparing to move elsewhere. This building is another example of pride in ownership that is being repeated along Broadway and we hope the trend continues and every business puts forth the same efforts.

I also joined the Menands Fire Dept. in a walk thru drill at the Sewage Treatment Plant off of Simons Lane. This drill was attended by Menands, Schuyler Heights and West Albany Fire Depts. The drill was to share with the firemen the operations of the Plant in an effort to educate them in case of an emergency there. I was impressed by the comments and questions of the firemen and felt that this drill was beneficial to not only the fire depts., but also to the workers at the Plant. Some great ideas were passed around to help improve response to an emergency. It was very interesting to see how the facility operates and I thank the Menands Fire Dept. for letting me tag along.

Our Village Court has a new Acting Village Justice. After conducting interviews from interested parties, Village resident Bob Becher was appointed to the position. Bob, an attorney since 1977, worked for the Rensselaer Co. DA’s office and is now in private practice, as well as a Special Prosecutor in Rensselaer County. Bob will be an asset to our Court and we welcome him to our team.

The semi-annual Business Breakfast was held this month with many new faces attending. I gave an update on the things happening around the Village and introduced our Economic Partnership Director, Bill Giering to those in attendance. Bill gave a brief presentation on his role and what he hopes to accomplish in Menands. Bill stressed that a partnership between the Village and the businesses will benefit us all and looks forward to meeting with business owners. The next Business Breakfast will be held in the fall.

I was pleased to work with a fund raising committee, made up of members of various organizations in Menands, to host a breakfast in support of a 4 year old Menands resident who has cancer. The generosity of the organizations, local businesses and the residents was overwhelming and the breakfast was a great success. It is events like this that makes Menands the wonderful community that it is. Thank you to everyone for your consideration.

Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Please keep in mind those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country while you enjoy the holiday weekend with your families.
Until next time,
Mayor Meg

DUMPSTER RESERVATIONS BEGAN APRIL 2

To make a reservation for the dumpster, you need to come to the Village Office (8 a.m. – 4 p.m.); we cannot take calls for the reservations. Payment of $75.00 will be due at time of making your reservation.

HYDRANT FLUSHING HAS BEGUN

The Water Department has already begun the yearly flushing of the water system. All flushing of hydrants will be conducted between the hours of 7 A.M. and 3 P. M. Residents might notice discoloration in their water and should be aware this is normal and not harmful. However, residents are cautioned to check their water before doing laundry. Simply by letting the faucets run will clear up the discoloration after the flushing is completed each day.

MENANDS FIRE COMPANY NEWS

The next meeting of the Menands Fire Co.#1 will be on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, note date change, at 7:00 P.M. at Ganser-Smith Park. The Board of Directors will be meeting at 6:00 p.m. All fire company members are invited to attend.

MENANDS FIRE COMPANY AUXILIARY

The Menands Fire Company Auxiliary is in need of new members. If you enjoy volunteering your time and would like to help us support our Menands Fire Company, we need you. If you would like more information please call Theresa Montanye at 207-6859.
Our next meeting is June 13, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. – Ganser Smith Park for our Annual Picnic, please bring a covered dish to share, Mark your calendars for our Life Member/Past President Lunch which will be held October 13, 2012 from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

MENANDS SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION
The Menands School Board of Education will meet on June 11 at 6:30 p.m.

MENANDS PUBLIC LIBRARY   

Spring Film Festival
Spring into Storytime! Children and their caregivers are invited to our weekly drop in story hour. Wednesdays at 10 a.m. stop by the library for stories, songs and crafts. Please feel free to bring a friend! Info: call 463-4035

UNIQUE LECTURE
Historic St. Agnes Cemetery in partnership with the NYC Council for the Humanities and the Ancient Order of Hibernians presents:“Strong Celtic Woman” a lecture by Dr. James Mackillop. To be held at the Albany Ancient Order of Hibernians on June 7th from 7-8:30 p.m. Free and open to the public (cash bar). This presentation is an exploration of some of the reasons Celtic Myths feature more prominent and forceful women than are generally found in Greek or Norse mythologies. Dr. Mackillop will draw on his own publications and personal knowledge, as well as, the most recent findings of genome studies to explore centuries of strong Celtic women.

MENANDS SENIOR CITIZEN CLUB
September 9, 2012 we will be going to the “Seafood Festival,” at Hampton Beach, NH. We will leave Ganser-Smith Park at 7:00am. Hampton Beach is a mile of sand located between Massachusetts and Maine, bordered by a concrete walk path. There is a huge shell that houses a bandstand with continuous live entertainment. Across the street is a strip of restaurants, stores, and amusements. During the festival, Mammoth tents are set up for arts & crafts vendors, merchants offer end-of season sidewalk sales and the top restaurants serve great tasting New England Seafood, at discounted prices. You will be free to make your own fun and meals are on your own. Cost of the trip is $45. Contact Diane Leonard at 465-3771.
Remember, you must be 55 years of age and a resident member of the Menands Club or another Town of Colonie Senior Club.

THANK-YOU
This past Sunday local organizations, sponsors and the community came together for a benefit breakfast for Menands resident Jasmine Cole, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last January. A big thank you goes out to local businesses: Price Chopper, Midland Farms, Stewart’s, Capital City Produce and Schuyler Bakery for donating items for the breakfast. Thank you to local organizations: Menands Fire Company, Menands Fire Company Auxiliary, Menands PBA and Menands Junior Baseball and Softball league for their generous donations and a huge thank you to residents that came out to the breakfast and showed their support!